Nest Raiders

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Description

Pretend to be a jay bird, and steal tokens from the others teams’ nests while defending your own.

ORIGINAL VERSION: Wide game for Beavers, similar to capture the flag but instead with nests of eggs (water balloons).

CUB/SCOUT VERSION: Courtesy of The Scout Association - https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/nest-raiders/


Resources

ORIGINAL VERSION:
40 Large Strong Latex Balloons (Golden if Possible) [or 10 per team]
4 large buckets or tubs [or 1 per team]
Water
Wooded area about 1/4 or a mile square (larger for Cubs), preferable with an obvious break into clear field to stop them going too far.

CUB/SCOUT VERSION:
- At least one token for each player (for example, silver chocolate coins, bouncy balls, or glowsticks
- A small number of more exciting versions of the tokens (for example, gold chocolate coins)
- Materials to build nests (twigs and leaves, buckets, or ropes)

COVID Safe: Remember to ensure COVID Safe adjustments are made to any version of the game played.

Instructions

ORIGINAL VERSION:
Standard Play and Scoring
1. Give each lodge, a bucket/tub full of golden eggs (~10 each), when instructed they make their way into the woods to build a nest that is well protected and hidden (accompanied by nest adult).
2. On the sound of the first whistle (say after 10 minutes), teams can leave their bases in search of the other nests, the objective being to steal the eggs from the other teams and return with them to base, (Beavers "should" play in pairs).
3. Attackers may only carry one balloon at a time, defenders may stop/block attackers entering the nest, but once in they may not stop attackers taking/leaving with an egg or attempt to take it off them.
4. Play continues for ~30-40 minutes, after which a 2nd whistle signifies the game end, all attackers should return to base but may not take any more eggs on route (base adults should prevent this).
5. Then the teams should all return to the start for a count up.

The winning team is the one with the most eggs.

Advanced Play and Scoring
- Start each team with x9 balloons representing the colour of their own Lodge/Six/Patrol, and x1 Golden Balloon
- Additional rules, teams may only steal a golden egg if it is the last one left in a nest.
- When adding the scores award:
-- 3 points for golden egg,
-- 2 points for their colour egg colour, and
-- 1 point for another teams egg.

End of the Session = Water balloon fight !


CUB/SCOUT VERSION:
Prepare to play
1. Before you start, the person leading the game should explain that it’s never OK to raid a real bird’s nest – it’s against the law to take anything from birds’ nests in the UK.
[In this game, you can pretend to be jay birds - they raid other birds’ nests and eat their eggs.]
2. Split into at least three groups, with an equal number of players in each.
3. The person leading the game should use a bucket or rope to make a central nest.
4. Each team should find things to build a nest for their team – they could hunt for twigs, leaves, or dead wood. Each team’s nest should be the same distance away from the central nest – and spread roughly the same distance apart from all of the other teams’ nests.
5. The person leading the game should give every player one token. The players should put their token in their team’s nest.
[It’s up to you what you use as tokens – why not match them to the theme of your camp? You could use chocolate eggs or coins, bouncy ball asteroids, or glow sticks.]
6. The person leading the game should put the more exciting tokens in the central nest. These more exciting tokens are worth two tokens each, but have to be collected by a pair of team members.
7. The person leading the game should explain all of the rules, and give teams a few minutes to discuss their tactics.
8. Will they prioritise defending their nest, or collecting tokens? Will they try to collect the more exciting tokens?

Play the game
1. The person leading the game should count down from three. When they reach zero, 2. everyone can go.
3. Players should steal tokens from other teams’ nests (and the central nest), and put them back in their own nest. They need to stick to the rules while they do this.
4. A team becomes ‘out’ if their nest becomes empty, even if it’s just for a few seconds.
5. When there are only two teams left in play, the person leading the game should make a signal to end the game.
6. The winning team is the one with the most tokens in their nest.

Rules
- No physical contact is allowed.
- Players can only carry one token at a time.
- Two players must work together if they want to take a more exciting token from the central nest.
- Tokens can only be taken from a nest – not from a person carrying a token.
- If they want to keep joining in, when a team becomes out, they can cause mischief by raiding other nests and return tokens to the central nest.


Tags

  • beavers
  • cooperative
  • cubs
  • Outdoor Challenge
  • Outside
  • team game
  • wide game
  • woods

Badge Links

  • Outdoors - Wide game
  • Outdoors - Wide game
  • Skills - Problem solving
  • Teamwork - Team game